Dark Beauty
by Guardian2Be
Summary: Sequel to Shadow Heart! Read that before continuing! R&R! COMPLETE! All the best, Guardian2Be
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own anything…Well, except for the kids: Anthony, Jake, Marisa, Melanie, and Ari…They're all mine.

**OMG! You guys this is the sequel to SH! Warning: Read Shadow Heart before you read the following story….**

**Dark Beauty**

**Prologue**

Rose

It had been about eight months ever since Tasha had been taken to the Court jail. In those months, Dimitri and I had a little confession time, both of us admitting that we never stopped loving each other. That night was one of the best in my life. Ari had her fourth birthday party on October 10, Liss and Christian had forgiven Dimitri soon after the whole thing with Tasha, Lissa's kids had given Dimitri the name Uncle Dimka, and I learned what it meant to be a Dark Beauty. Tasha hadn't had her trial yet, and that was scheduled to be in a couple days. I didn't want to face Tasha in court, but I knew my part was crucial if we wanted to get her locked away. We all hadn't seen Tasha since the day that I had used my 'powers'. I still didn't understand those, but I'm stumbling through them. I and Dimitri were the best pair guardians in the Court. I guess that came in handy when we both knew each other's moves the way we did. I was happy that we both guarded the King and Queen together. Melanie got her title: Princess Dragomir. Well, they'd need a Dragomir in there somewhere. Lissa and Christian were still happily in love.

Maybe there is a happy ending after all…

But if I know anything about life…Nothing lasts for long…

**What do you think? Like it, love it, terrible? First chapter soon! **

**Review!  
All the best,**

**Guardian2Be**


	2. Chapter 1:There goes my happy ending

**Disclaimer: HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY IT? Okay, fine. I don't own anything…**

**Hello people of Earth and various planets! It's here! The sequel to Shadow Heart is right below this! I won't keep you waiting anymore…**

Rose

You know those times when you feel new; like there's a light at the end of a tunnel? That's how I've been feeling these past months. I was completely happy. I had Dimitri, I had Lissa, Ari, the kids, and yes…Even Christian. It killed me to say it, but he's been really supportive of me, Dimitri, and Ari. Dimitri and I finally got married, marking both me and Ari (We decided to change Ari's last name to Belikov) part of the Belikov family. Everyone had met the Belikovs' at the wedding, and they were staying for a couple days more. But with the days slowly approaching Tasha's trial, I began to get nervous. Shortly after the whole Tasha incident, I got my memory back, and it's been filling me in on everything Tasha did to me. It also reminded me of my powers. Lissa and I have been practicing my powers ever since that day. We liked to joke that I was the destructive one, and she was the healer. Of course, that was all true. Both with our polar opposite attitudes, and our powers.

Lissa had agreed with me that Yeva was some type of creepy. We even put her on a scale of creepiness. Well, I did. Lissa just watched with an amused expression on her face. We did a scale from one to ten. It was mounted up on my wall, since no one would dare come into my room, besides my daughter, Olena, Dimitri, and Lissa. Let's just say Yeva was way above ten. I suggested that we put Christian right above Yeva, but Lissa wouldn't allow it. Figures…

We walked down the stairs in the morning, Lissa carrying Marisa, and holding Jake and Melanie's hand, me just carrying Ari and a little one in my stomach. That's right; I got another one on the way. We got downstairs and Dimitri came over to take Ari from me. "Daddy!" she exclaimed. Dimitri just shook his head playfully, and set her down in a chair in between Melanie and Jake. I took my normal seat in between Lissa and Dimitri. Christian was next to Lissa and they were engaged in conversation. I glanced over at Dimitri, who was studying me. "What's wrong, Comrade?" I asked in my usual Rose attitude. He just shook his head playfully. "Well, Viktoria said that she wanted to take her sister shopping. Her words, not mine," he told me. After our fight in Russia, Viktoria held a little grudge against me. But when she came to the wedding, she explained that she felt bad for yelling at me. She'd tried to apologize but I wouldn't have that. Liss, Viktoria, and I loved to hang out. "Is Lissa going to go? Because where she goes; I go." Dimitri nodded. "Viktoria wants you, Lissa, and Ari to come with her and my sisters," "So in other words, an all girls outing?" Lissa asked, popping another piece of bacon in her mouth. Dimitri just nodded. I heard footsteps hitting the porch. Dimitri and I both stood up at the same time, both of us grabbing our silver stakes. We've had random Strigoi attacks, because the wards were broken. There were at least thirty guardians looking for a little opening that the Strigoi might've made. So in the meantime, all guardians were on high alert. We gestured the Moroi back. Dimitri and I stalked to the door. I counted to three and we swung the door open…and I almost staked Viktoria in the heart. She made a little yelp. "Roza, you weren't going to stake me, were you?" she asked. All of the Belikovs' call me Roza, since that's my name in Russian. I've gotten used to them calling me that. "No, of course not, Vikki," I said. I pocketed my stake. I led her over to Lissa and the rest of the group. "So…It's not a Strigoi?" asked Christian. "No, I most certainly am not. If I was, you'd already be dead." Viktoria said, putting her hands on her hips. Both of us loved to argue with Christian. "Yeah, right. I'd probably…" Lissa cut in. "So, are we heading out, or what?" "Totally. Do the boys want to come along?" I asked teasingly. "Ugh, no way. Maybe Dimitri does, but I'm certainly not," said Christian. "Suit yourself. But we just might try on some dresses for Lissa's party tonight," I told him. Lissa's party for…I don't know, something royal…was tonight. Anyway, everyone in Court was supposed to come, well, except for guardians. Usually Dimitri, Viktoria, and I would be standing along the wall, but Lissa absolutely refused.

After the long car ride to Missoula, we were finally at the mall. We got in and Lissa pulled us into the first store we saw. After hitting at least fifty other stores in about five hours, we decided to get something to eat. We walked over to the food court. Ari and I got pizza, Lissa got a salad, Dimitri got a blizzard, and Viktoria got McDonald's. After we had finished eating, Lissa said we had to hit one more store. I tried to get out of it by saying my feet hurt. "But we need to get dresses!" she exclaimed, leading us toward the dress shop. I lingered behind, before giving up and following. They come first.

The dress shop looked fancy inside, and dresses hung on racks. Manikins wore formal dresses in the store window. There were dresses for every occasion. It wasn't hard to find my dress. It was a sleek black dress with an open back. It clung to my every curve.**(Pic on profile!)** Lissa's dress was simple and elegant: It came down to the floor with a clear little gray sash that went down from the left shoulder and went around her waist. Perfect for a queen. **(Pic on profile!) **Viktoria's dress was a deep midnight blue that had flowers that went up the shoulder. There was also a shoe compartment where we got matching shoes. Well, I did. It was black high heels that were killer on me. **(Pic on profie!)**

We left the mall, hurrying a little since it was dark enough for Strigoi to be out. We were just about to the car when I felt it. Nausea. I stopped dead, pulling Lissa, who had walked ahead, behind me. I put her up against the nearest car, pressing flat against it. "Dimitri!" I yelled out. He took the hint and took out his stake, just as twelve Strigoi popped out from the forest's edge. Crap.

**Well, there you go! Sorry to leave it at a cliffhanger…I'll UD soon, but I have homework still…..**

**All the best,**

**Guardian2Be**


	3. Chapter 2: One word: Crap

Disclaimer: Oh…It was just a dream…Oh, well…I don't own anything…

**Hey you guys! Since I don't have anything to do…Here you go!**

Chapter Two: One word: Crap

Rose

Six Strigoi were on me, six on Dimitri and Viktoria. Of course, I was the one guarding the Queen. Viktoria and Dimitri were with Ari"Is _this_ the Dark Beauty? I thought she'd be at least thirty. But, of course, the prophecy stated that she would be young and beautiful. I should have guessed it would have been Rose Hathaway." he had a sneer in his voice I didn't like. Again, the burning sensation. The six closed in around us. _Rose, use your powers_. Lissa said through the bond. _I can't; It might hurt you. Do it before it's too late! _I realized that the Strigoi were getting too close. I squeezed my eyes shut and let the burning sensation grow stronger. I opened my eyes, and I saw a sharp piece of wood nearby. I used my powers to pick the stick up and thrust through the leader Strigoi's heart. He crumpled to the ground, down for at least five minutes. Lissa screamed at the blood. I used my body to shield her as the other five Strigoi attacked. I kicked the Strigoi closest to me and staked him. I turned around and instantly killed the Strigoi that was moving in on Lissa. I did a roundhouse kick on one of them that was coming straight on. I punched the one on the right of me. He stumbled, and I staked him. Two more. I focused on the one that was closest to Lissa. I did a side kick right on his chest, sending him stumbling. The one that was coming straight on hit my head hard. My head shot to the side as Lissa screamed. Luckily, I caught sight of the car's window and broke it with my powers. I focused the biggest piece of glass, and shot it into the Strigoi's heart. I knew I'd hit my target when she screamed and dropped to the floor. One more. This one was old and dangerous. I gestured Lissa over to Viktoria who was willing her to come over. Lissa nodded and sprinted over. Viktoria put her in the car, and came over to help me. My eyes were black—I knew by the way she looked at me. "Rose, your…" "Focus; we need to dispatch this guy as soon as possible," The old guy laughed, but it was cold, empty. Dimitri came over then. The guy's laugh died out. We all circled, and attacked.

This guy was good, really good. He took Viktoria down with two moves. "Viktoria!" I yelled. But it was too late. His fangs had slipped into her neck. Dimitri went crazy then, fighting with blind rage. He attacked, yanking Viktoria out of his grasp. I caught her before her head hit the floor. I laid her down carefully. Then I glared at the Strigoi. The black mist that I haven't seen ever since it attacked Tasha, made its way to the Strigoi. It consumed him. He shrieked. Dimitri stopped his attack and glanced back at me, where the Strigoi was staring. "Victor will not rest until he has the Dark Beauty," were his last words. The Strigoi collapsed, dead. I was completely drained of energy. I swayed a little. Dimitri came over and picked Viktoria up. He sprinted to the car, and I followed as fast as I could—which wasn't that fast since I just killed a Strigoi with my hands down.

On the way back, Lissa healed Viktoria. She's sleeping now. Ari was still in tears. She was traumatized by all the blood and violence that had taken place. It made me sad that she had been scarred so young. I held onto her shaking frame. Her tears had soaked my shirt, but I didn't care. Frankly, I was surprised she had any tears left. Lissa was rubbing her back, trying to comfort her, even though she was a little shaken up too.

We were at home quickly. I carried Ari up the steps and through the door. Christian realized something was wrong right when I walked through the door. Lissa walked through next, then Dimitri, carrying his little sister. He set her down on the couch, draping a blanket over her. "What happened?" Christian whispered to me. I could see why he'd chosen me to talk to. Lissa was holding a crying Ari, and Dimitri…Well, it didn't seem like a good time to ask him that question. "Strigoi attacked. Twelve of them. It was six on me, six on Vikki, Dimitri, and Ari. I had Lissa with me. Short version, Vikki got bit, and it was Ari's first look at the undead. I'm going to call Olena," Christian nodded and went over to help with Ari. Lissa's kids were already in bed and asleep.

"Hello?" asked a Russian accent. "Hey, Olena. It's Rose. You need to get over here," I told her. "Is something wrong?" I just told her I'd tell her when she got here. A couple minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Dimitri started to go into attack mode, when I just motioned him down. I opened the door to see Karolina and Sonya, Dimitri's older sisters, Yeva, and Olena. "Come in." I told them, holding the door open a little more. They walked in, took one look at Viktoria and went over to her. "What happened?" Karolina asked. She had her guardian mask on, ready for anything. "Well, we were at the mall and twelve Strigoi attacked." Olena, Karolina, and Sonya gasped. "We managed to kill all of them, but in the process, Vikki got bitten. She didn't lose too much blood, but she's been sleeping for a while. Lissa had healed her right when we got back in the car." They nodded, and went by Dimitri. "We need to take her to the clinic," Olena said. Dimitri nodded and picked her up. I stayed with the Moroi and Ari. I took Ari into the kid's bedroom and set her next to Melanie. She was scared, so I left the room light on. Lissa was there when I shut the door. "Are you okay?" she asked. I nodded. "I'm just drained. I don't know what happened, but I killed a Strigoi by just staring at it. Remember the black mist?" She nodded. I'd told her about what happened with Tasha. "Well, that's what killed the Strigoi. Is it okay if we stay here for the night?" She just nodded. "You know you can stay here as long as you want." she said. I nodded and followed her into the bedroom. We changed into pajamas and jumped into bed. We both fell asleep quickly. I just hope I won't have any nightmares tonight…

**Another one done! More soon!**

**All the best,**

**Guardian2Be**


	4. Chapter 3:The Trial, and a Dark Beauty

Disclaimer: I don't own anything…

**Hey you guys! Help me bump my story up the charts! Anyways, here you go…**

Chapter Three: The Trial, and a Dark Beauty

Rose

Well, this is it. The trial. The house had a tense atmosphere in it as we all got dressed. I was wearing formal guardian black and white, while Lissa was wearing a light green dress that went perfectly with her eyes. She set the tiara on her head, and slipped on some shoes that looked like glass, only green. They didn't look comfortable, either. We both left the room, meeting Dimitri and Christian downstairs. We had taken the kids to the Court nursery until the trial was over. "Ready?" I asked. They just nodded. Together, we walked the short distance to court. Lissa and Christian took their spot up at the front, and Dimitri and I were up against the wall with the other guardians. A royal, whose name I promptly forgot, announced Lissa and Christian's titles. "The trial of Natasha Ozera, Queen Vasilisa Dragomir, and King Christian Ozera residing," he said. Soon after, the doors swung open, and in walked in Tasha Ozera. She had a devilish smile on her face. She sat down next to her lawyer—I was surprised they found someone to represent her. Our lawyer stood up and announced: "The jury calls Guardian Rosemarie Hathaway to the stand," I got up from my position on the wall and walked over to the guardian who was next to the hand, holding an old scripture in his hand. I put my right hand on it carefully, afraid that it would crumble under the extra weight. "Do you, Guardian Rosemarie Hathaway, swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth, to serve faithfully under the rule of Queen Vasilisa Dragomir and King Christian Ozera?" "I do," I said. I then took my place. The lawyer that was representing us was a middle aged Moroi that had light brown hair in a bun on top of her head. "What happened when Natasha Ozera 'disappeared', as it is said in here, throughout the house. Where did you find her?" I took a deep breath before answering. "When she disappeared, Guardian Belikov, the only other guardian in the building, and I split up. I went up the stairs, and he went down. I found her first, in the spare bedroom. At first, I didn't see her. I was turning to the door to leave, when she tackled me and pinned me on the wall. She had had a knife in her hand and told me some threats; then she cut a small line on my neck. I had screamed, and Guardian Belikov broke the door down a couple seconds later. When Natasha glanced away, I had enough time to punch her, making her stumble back and losing the knife. Guardian Belikov had charged to help me, but she used her magic to create a wall of fire between us. It was me and her, when I had felt this burning pain in my chest. It's very hard to explain, but I'm a Dark Beauty, and I have powers. So the window crashed and I used my powers to use a piece of big glass to cut into her leg. Then a black mist generated off of me and consumed her. By this time, the fire had went out, and she was unconscious after a minute of screaming. After that, I had passed out. I haven't seen her since." the lawyer nodded and turned to Christian. "No more questions, Your Highness,"

The rest of the trial was like that. One by one most of my friends went up and gave their account of what happened. My story lined up with theirs. At the very end, Tasha was proclaimed guilty, by a landslide. "Case closed," announced Christian. Christian and Lissa stood up and walked off of their seats, me, Dimitri and some other royal guardians by their side in seconds. We left the room, which was buzzing in excitement. The door we went to led to a maze of hallways. I walked next to Lissa. We weren't supposed to talk in these hallways, but lucky for us, we didn't have to. _God, I'm glad that's over. _Lissa said relief in her voice. We weren't even looking at each other, but Christian could tell. I could he was peeved that we were talking silently. I could see the expression in his eyes. It said, _If you two can't stop for at least three seconds, I'm out of here, and Rose will have to follow._ Dang it, he was right. _No, he isn't, Dimitri would have to follow him. It's his turn to guard him. _Oh, yeah! Hathaway, 1. Ozera, 0. _You are so immature, even at this age. You and Christian will never stop, will you? Nope. _I answered. We had arrived at the Royal nursery. That's right: They had to add a nursery for all of our kids. Even kid royals needed protection. We entered, and all the guardians gave swift bow. Lissa decided to ignore the bows, and turned to the kids. "Ready to go, guys?" They nodded. Ari was in the back of the room, absorbed in her book. It was so much like Dimitri, it was scary. I walked over to her. "Ari, time to go," I said. She just shushed me. "This is the best part," she mumbled, turning the page. Dimitri came over and chuckled. Dimitri picked her up and set her on his shoulders, so she would be able to read. Once she was settled, and we were positive she wasn't going to fall, she opened up the book and started to read again. We left the room, Melanie walking next to me. "Your aura's weird," was all she said. She glanced up at me. "It shows worry, why?" she asked. "You don't want to know," I told her truthfully. The Strigoi's words, back at the mall: That's what scared me. The last time we had seen Victor was at least three to two years ago. And yet, here was this stupid Strigoi saying, "Victor will not rest until he has the Dark Beauty," Yep, that scared me. Lissa knew, but she didn't want to talk about it, she wasn't ready.

When we walked through the door, we saw Yeva there with a young woman, about a year older than me. Dimitri didn't ask questions, neither did I. Ever since I was in this family, I'd gotten used to seeing Yeva in the house without us allowing it. We sat across from them, Ari on Dimitri's lap. Lissa and Christian dragged in chairs from the kitchen and sat in them. The kids all went upstairs, besides Ari. "This is Holly. She is a Dark Beauty I have known for a long time. I thought she may be able to help." Yeva said. "Roza," I was a bit surprised at that, but she was Russian. "I understand you are a new Dark Beauty," I nodded. "You are bonded, correct?" I nodded again. "Lissa is my bond-mate." I told her, gesturing to Lissa. "Ah, yes. Vasilisa Dragomir. I've heard about you. So, let's get started." was all she said. _Do you trust her?_ asked Lissa in my head. "All conversations can be spoken aloud," Holly said. Holy crap… "How did you…" I couldn't finish. "All will be explained in due time," Dang it, she sounded exactly like Yeva. She gestured outside and we followed. She walked through the woods, and stopped right at the edge of the wards in a meadow, where Dimitri and I spar sometimes. "First, we need to see how good your skills are. Attack me with your powers." She told me. "I don't want to hurt you," I said. "You won't; Trust me." I nodded and brought the burning into a high level. I clenched my fists and held them to my sides. I felt my eyes go black, so did Holly's. I felt the black generate from my fists. I thrust my hands forward, black shooting out of them, towards Holly. She stood still. For a minute, I nearly pulled back. "Don't pull back, Roza. I'll be fine." So I went forward. I heard Ari scream, and saw from the corner of my eye that Dimitri told her to go back to the house. She knew the way. A millisecond before it reached Holly, it dissipated, leaving me drained, and panting hard. "Good, very good. We will work more tomorrow, but I think Yeva wants to go back to her family," I nodded, and stumbled over to Christian, the nearest pair of arms. He caught me, surprised. I hugged him. There was nothing romantic about it, but Dimitri was too far away. Christian walked me over to Dimitri, who gladly took me, supporting my weight the whole walk home…

**There you go…Sorry about not UD in a while, school is crazy…First Volleyball game tomorrow! Go Warriors! That's our team name…**

**All the best,**

**Guardian2Be**


	5. Chapter 4:Can my life get any worse?

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything…Geez, get off my back, will you?  
Okay, so thanks so much for helping me bump my story up the charts! Here you go…**

Chapter Four: Can my life get any worse?

Rose

We went into the house, to see Ari crashed on the couch. Dimitri went over and picked her up, carrying her through the door that connected our apartment to theirs. I sat down on the couch. "Wow, Rose. Remind me never to get on your bad side," Christian smirked. "Oh, Chrissie, you passed that line long ago. Better run while you still can," I taunted. He just smiled a brotherly smile and sat down next to Lissa. No matter how much Christian and I tease each other, we were like family. A couple minutes later of talking, Melanie tromped down the stairs. She had a solemn look on her face. "Melanie, Honey, what's wrong?" "Something's wrong…I don't know what's wrong, but something is." Well, that's not vague. "Why would you think that?" asked Christian. Dimitri had joined us by then, and he sat next to me. "The air's thick, and, I don't know, I just _know_," Lissa held out her hands, and her daughter climbed into her lap. All of a sudden, we heard a bang, coming from Ari's room. Dimitri and I were through the door in a second, just in time to see a Strigoi throw Ari into a wall. Dimitri and I lunged into action at the same time. Dimitri did physical fighting, while I worked my Dark Magic. The window broke, and all of the shards, big and small, went towards the Strigoi's back. The glass plunged into his back, and he screamed in agony. He dropped to his knees. I still had control, so I dug in deeper. He yelled repeatedly. I quit with the glass, and Dark Magic flowed from my hands, surrounding the Strigoi. It only took a couple seconds before he collapsed, dead. I stumbled back and fell to the ground. The world spun, and I saw blurry faces looking at me. I could hear a faint "Mommy!" before the world faded.

I was half asleep, and I could still smell the clinic. My first thought was: Ow…My second thought: I'm alive. **(It always seems to go like that…) **I opened my eyes, and immediately regretted it. The world spun, and it made me dizzy. I squeezed my eyes shut and groaned, I felt light headed. "Rose?" I heard a familiar voice ask. I opened my eyes, and was met with ice cold blue ones. I sat up slowly, and opened my eyes. The world stayed put. "Christian?" I asked. Man, my voice sounded weak. "Scared us there, Rosie." He wasn't wearing his usual smirk. His eyes were filled with concern and sadness. Sadness I knew all too well. "Who died?" I asked, bracing myself for the worse. "Well, no one. Yet," "What's that supposed to mean?" I snapped. "Rose," started Lissa. "They took Ari," was all she said. No. No, it wouldn't happen. It couldn't happen.

Ari.

My little girl.

Was taken.

By Strigoi.

**There you go! OMG we won 2** **games out of four! It's kind of confusing though… Also, we only won one game last season. We already beat our high score! Go Warriors!  
Byee! **

**All the best,**

**Guardian2Be**


	6. Chapter 5:How will I get out of this one

Disclaimer: I don't own anything…

**OMG! THANKS SOO MUCH FOR MAKING DB #1 (For a few minutes anyways) luvs you guys…**

Chapter Five: How will I get out of this one?

Rose

My brain couldn't function. How could it? My daughter, who was only four, has been taken by merciless evil vampires. Crap… "We need to find her." I yelled, and jumped out of the bed, the I.V. ripping out. It stung, but I didn't care. I was happy to see I was in my regular clothes. Immediately, a strong pair of arms blocked my way. "We've already got a search team out there. They'll find her." Dimitri said. "We need to help! She's only four, Dimitri, and she's been taken by Strigoi. She could be…be…" I couldn't finish, and instead, tears spilled out of my eyes, drifting down my cheeks. Dimitri pulled me in close. He whispered a soothing tone in Russian, and even though I didn't know what he was saying, it soothed me. Dimitri picked me up and put me back in the bed, slipping the needle back into my wrist. His mother was a doctor, so I guess he's naturally good at that. "When can I leave this stupid place?" I asked impatiently. "Let me get Doctor Olendski, and we'll find out," Dimtri left the room. He returned a few minutes later, the doctor following. "You can leave as soon as you want, Rose," Doctor Olendski said, moving around to take the I.V. out. "I'm free!" I announced. Christian and Lissa laughed, and Dimitri just shook his head. "Let's go. We need to go to the Guardian Building. They've got some more information on where they might've taken Ari." I nodded and followed him out, feeling a little dizzy from the anesthesia. Dimitri picked me up, and walked on. "I'm perfectly able to walk, Comrade," I said. "No, you're not. You need rest. Now is not the time to…" Nausea sprang up and I called out a warning to Dimitri. He set me down and caged me with his arms. There were at least thirty, almost three fifths of the Strigoi that had attacked the school so many years ago. Guardians surrounded me, keeping me encaged. Crap. I thought back to Holly and our lesson. I focused all of my will power onto killing each of these undead monsters that had no right to enter the Royal Court. I thrust my hands forward, palms up, and Black Magic flew from my hands in a lopsided ball. I kept shooting these spears until there was one left. I held back. He was holding Ari, an unconscious Ari. Through the battle lust, I hadn't noticed that my daughter was in it. Dimitri and three guardians—all three from the royal Guard—were beside me, looking ready to attack. That was when he spoke. "If the Dark Beauty comes with me, no harm will come to the child." I started to head forward, when Dimitri caught my arm. "Rose, we can do this, we can kill him easily." I noticed where the Strigoi was holding his hands: On her neck, ready to snap it in the blink of an eye. "Let her go first," I said. "How will I know you'll come?" he countered. "I will; If I don't you can kill me, and I won't put up a fight." He looked skeptical. "Drain your powers, drop any weapon you have, and then I will let her go." I did as I was told. Draining my powers was a hard thing to do. Holly had explained it to me. I held my hands out, and put the burning up to where it was unbearable, like it could kill you. I put my hands up to the sky, so it wouldn't kill anyone, and all of my Dark Magic flowed out of me. I felt like I had been trampled by horses. I took out my four stakes, and dropped them. "Rose." Lissa said, tears streaking down her face. Christian also had tears, though they weren't faling down endlessly. Dimitri looked…Well, he had his guardian mask on. The three guardians, who didn't know I was a Dark Beauty, looked at me with a mixture of awe and scared. I went over to Lissa and hugged her tight. _Update me, every single hour. Don't forget to come back._ She said. _Always._ I responded, gave Christian a trusting look and said, "Take care of her, Pyro." "I will, Rosie," he told me, smiling a sad smile. I turned to Dimitri. "I love you, Comrade." I told him. "I love you too, Roza." I turned back to the Strigoi. "Okay, you undead freak, drop my daughter, and take me to your stupid, undead leader," He dropped Ari, and dragged me away by my arm. I glanced back, and saw Dimitri holding Ari, and Lissa and Christian crying…

I wonder how I'll get out of this…

**Sorry for the shortness but I've got something to do….Byee!**

**All the best,**

**Guardian2Be**


	7. Chapter 6: Three words: What The Hell?

Disclaimer: HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY IT? Okay, fine. I don't own anything…. :( :(

**Hey! Thanks for all the reviews! Thank you all you wacky people in my computer!**

Rose

The Strigoi dragged me out of sight, and through the woods. I thought a shocking thought that really had no relation to what was happening. I always get sucked into Lissa's head with overpowering emotions, so maybe if I feel really angry she'll get sucked into mine! I thought of Dimitri leaving me, of the Strigoi that took my daughter, Tasha. Suddenly, I felt another mind join mine. _Rose! I just got sucked into your head! How did you do it? _She asked. _I made myself really angry to see if it worked, and it did! Now get me the heck out of here! Tell Dimitri or someone! Okay_, she said, leaving my head. Unfortunately, I got taken into a car before she managed to get a group of guardians out here.

**Time It Took To Get To the Stupid Undead Leader**

A list by Rose Hathaway

Left Turns: 47

Right turns: 67

Cusses: 98

Threats: 34

Minutes: 67

Seconds: 4,020

We had finally turned into a driveway, secluded by trees. It took a couple twists and turns, but the car stopped. I remained sitting with my hands cuffed behind my back, and a blindfold over my eyes. I heard the driver's door shut, and a few seconds later, the side door slid open. I felt icy cold hands pull me towards the body. I felt the painful tug of the cuffs, trying to restrain me back. The cuffs broke loose, sending me tumbling into the Strigoi. He ripped the blindfold off me, blinding sunlight to substitute the black. Apparently, he couldn't resist and bended his head toward my neck. I was about to scream with my last dying breath, when I heard him speak. "Hathaway, don't run-away…" That voice. The ghost who visited me so many years ago. The boy who got killed because of me. The boy I pretended to love.

_Mason._

**Okay, so eat me if you must, but I taste terrible. (Not really, I think I have a flavor:) Seriously though, I am sincerely sorry for the wait!  
I think I taste like cookies…LOL**

**All the best,**

**Guardian2Be**


	8. Chapter 7: I repeat: What The Hell?

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my life (Yes I have one) and my mind… :)

**Hey guys sorry for like the seventeenth time that i haven't UD as much as I used to… Anyways, I have an explanation… My Microsoft went crazy and didn't save this chap. So now I have to rewrite it… Also our internet went down but it's back up now! Now time for the suspense to be over…**

Chapter 7: I repeat, what the hell?

Rose

But that was impossible…Wasn't it? I'd seen him die. I'd killed his murderers…Held his body…

Before I could wonder how, we were moving.

Mason leaned away, and started to drag me (_literally_) inside the house. The living room reminded me eerily of Spokane. He shoved me down a hallway and took a couple sharp turns and even more living rooms showed up. The layout was probably to confuse humans but Mason underestimated me. He was smart though. Making to layout complex, but not hard for Strigoi.

The guardian side in me decided to show up and let me count the twists and turns.

Right turns: 45

Left turns: 21

Living rooms: 32

Random doors: 74

My guardian side also reminded me what was happening. Whether I liked it or not, I was forced to attack. I searched for a weak spot, and when I found one, I used that against him, breaking free. I ran back since we were turned sideways in the narrow hall. I ran as fast as I could toward the last living room I saw, one that had a glass coffee table in it. I found the exterior to be a dark red. I moved as quick as I could, knowing Mason was right behind me, closing in fast. I grabbed the coffee table and banged it against the wall. There was a small crack the glass so I moved faster, and with as much brute strength as I could, I slammed it into the wall. You could hear the crack throughout the house and glass rained down. I grabbed the biggest piece of glass, turned around and sprinted to my best guy friend.

One problem: Mason's ghost was right behind him, urging me on to do it. The scene scared me so much, I hesitated.

"I thought Belikov taught you better than to hesitate," he mocked me. Then in one swift motion, he had my hands behind my back in a technique _I _taught him those many morning training sessions ago… I knew the weak point, but I was distracted by Mason's ghost in front of me, looking sad.

I failed him…

The last thing I heard was Mason's sigh, and almost the warm voice I remembered from many years ago. _Almost_. "Oh, Rose…"

Then everything went black…

**That's right people I wrote it again all from my memory, adding a bit here and there, but pretty close to the original. Special thanks to my readers which basically means everyone reading this now… For being so patient and stuff…**

**And chapter eight is done and finished. Once I post this up and chapter eight, I'm working on chapter nine!**

**All the best,**

**Guardian2Be**


	9. Chapter 8: Wierd and Dangerous

Disclaimer: Go check other chapters…You should have it memorized by now…

**Alright, so I'm going to try to make this a long chap for you guys! Check out my poll!**

Chapter 8: Weird and dangerous

The first thing I noticed was the cold. It was freezing in the cold sterile room, cold that rivaled the clinic. And believe me that was saying something.

I groaned at the pounding in my head. I felt a freezing hand clasp mine. Then I realized I wasn't in the clinic. I was captured. By Strigoi. My training forced me to attack, to gain some kind of ground, even though the ball was in the other court. So, that was why, in one smooth motion, I faked Mason out by pretending to roll over, but shot my fist out at the last second. It connected with his nose and blood spewed out. Then it began. A song got stuck in my head.

_Bring me to life_

_Wake me up_

_Wake me up inside_

_Can't wake up_

_Wake me up inside_

_Save me_

_Call my name and _save_ me from the dark_

_Wake me up_

_Bid my blood to run_

_Before I come undone_

_Save me_

_Save me from the nothing I've become_

Mason seemed unfazed by my actions. But that didn't stop him from attacking. No matter how close we were when he was a dhampir, I repeated the thing that's kept me going. Dimitri's words came back to me.

*Flashback*

"_They are the enemy." he told me one sunny Saturday morning.(_Well night for us…)_ "But don't you find it hard to kill people you once knew?" I inquired. "Yes and no. Your brain sees the person you love, but your eyes see a monster. You just let your instinct take over, and you'll be fine."_

*End Flashback*

Even now, when he claims he doesn't love me, his advice reigns true. I tried to follow his advice. _Let instinct take over…Let instinct take over…_I repeated it in my mind over and over, until I don't see Mason, I see some evil Strigoi, one I needed to take out.

Mason started out with a kick to my head, which I blocked. Moving fast, I scanned for a weapon. Not easy, since the only things in this room is a bed. I could probably attack him by a pillow, but that will get me nowhere. He taunted me, using what was closest to my heart. "Man, I can't wait to get you finished off, because once you're gone, there'll be no one in the way of me and your precious kids." I attacked harder, kicking and punching in a blind rage. Lissa joined my mind and immediately screamed. Either in my head, or out loud, I don't know.

Lissa POV

We were discussing battle plans, when I felt Rose (Still weird, this two way bond thing) kicking and punching then kicking again. Then blinding rage. I got sucked into her head, and immediately screamed. I had told the others about Mason, but seeing him head on… it was different. Nothing about his outside appearance was different: The same red hair, same smile, at least I would guess, because now he had fangs attached to his teeth! Rose was mad, and I mean _really _mad.

Pretty soon, Mason would be unconscious from Rose's wrath….Well, that was if he didn't kill her first…

Rose POV

The fight was ongoing, never ending, like the world would stop spinning unless we continue to battle. Mason was good, _really _good, but not as good as Dimitri…I moved quicker with my punches. Mason seemed to sense them, and blocked every time. I punched twice, and when his hand was up to block a third, I faked him out by kicking hard and it landed; straight You Know Where. We'd probably been going on for at least one hour of pure fighting, neither gaining ground on the other.

And that's when the metal door blew off his hinges.

There were footsteps on the floor and a figure stopped right in front of the open doorway.

That figure happened to be my best friend: Lissa.

That's it: No more footsteps sounded…

**I know I know you can hate me…. **

**Reasons you can hate me:  
1: I haven't been UD as much as I'd like to…**

**2: Writer's block… Doesn't that suck!**

**3: I haven't been checking in on FF in a while…**

**Hate me if you must,**

**Guardian2Be**

**Note: Happy Thanksgiving!**


	10. Chapter 9: Remembering Mason

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!  
**Hey you guys! You rock! It went from 3 people to 246 in a couple hours! Not even kidding! Okay so for all you When The Lights Go Out readers, go to DeadlyBlackRose's profile. She's taken over the story and has been doing an awesome job so far!**

**Now to continue….**

Chapter 9: Remembering Mason

Rose

My first reaction was shock. My second reaction was terror. My third was anger. Before I could scream at Lissa to get the hell out of here, Mason spoke. "Lissa Dragomir. You haven't aged a bit. Come to see your friend die, have you?" His voice was tinged with cold. Lissa looked furious. "Don't make me hurt you," she said, her voice was hard and she had the come-hither effect in her eyes. "Like you can. Rose here has been holding her own in our fight that you interrupted, unless you can match her skill?" Mason shoved me, with little effect. Sure it got me off him, but it didn't move me back. "Lissa, no! Don't do this to yourself! You have something to live for. You're the queen for heaven's sake! It's our job to die for your kind, not the other way around!" Lissa just glanced at me. Then I felt the burning, only higher than I could ever produce. Somehow I knew Lissa was at work, but I didn't understand how I could have my powers working when I drained them back at the Court. It almost made me scream, but the Dark Magic flew out in a different way. I clenched my fists, as balls of dark mist enveloped them, making them harder to see. My eyes turned black, and my whole body was shaking. Though not in the frail way, in the Oh-My-God-Something-Extraordinary-Is-Happening- And- I-Don't-Know-What-It-Is kind of way.

Lissa's voice spoke to me. _Rose, use your magic! _I did what she said and thrust my hands forward. Immediately Dark Magic flowed in a stronger force then I thought possible. Knocking all three of us—yes, even Mason—to the ground. You could hear his screams as the magic touched his skin. Then, looking right at me was Mason—the ghost, I mean—smiling and nodding. Then I heard another voice, not Lissa's, that said, _Thank you Rose, thank you…_ Then the ghost was gone, and by that time Lissa was leaning over me, cut from the impact of the wall, but alive. "Rose, are you okay?" "I-I don't know…" It was all I could manage. I felt myself move past Lissa and toward the crumpled body on the ground. Déjà-vu came over me, and I was in a living room, in Spokane. I crouched over the lifeless thing that was my best friend, then fake lover, then an undead soulless being that kidnapped me. Still, I felt destroyed. "Mason…" I whimpered. I someone next to me, and a finger brushed against my knee, sending shock waves through me. "Roza you did the right thing…Mason can be happy now," Then I was lifted up, and I fell asleep while going back home…

The van pulled up to the house just as I woke up. I was nestled in someone's arms, but he didn't have the scent of him. "Christian?" I asked. "Hey, Rosie. Glad you're awake. Dimitri's driving, but you refused to let him go, even in your sleep and Dimitri and I had to do a quick exchange," I just yawned and sat up. Christian helped into the seat next him. He smoothed my hair back in a big brother sort of fashion, and turned to talk to Lissa. As soon as we were out of the car, I got attacked by Ari. She was crying so hard she was shaking. "Mommy, don't leave me again, please…" she mumbled into my shoulder. I carried her in and up the stairs and into Lissa's kids' bedroom. I set her down next to Melanie, who was sitting up and who looked like she was expecting us. "Mommy's okay," Ari informed the five year old. Melanie just smiled, looked at me and said, "I knew she would be." She reminded me strangely of Yeva at that moment. Lissa and I said goodnight to the kids and shut the door behind us. "Guest bedroom's open, if you need it." I nodded my thanks and headed off to bed, thinking about Mason…

**Yeah, that's right! Three chapters in one day! How awesome am I? Well, I can't answer that because that would be selfish… **

**Thx again to my many readers. I was so inspired by you to write this fast… Thanks again!**

**All the best,**

**Guardian2Be**


	11. Chapter 10: Alek Christian Belikov

Me: No, I'm not admitting it!

Rose: Say it… *holds hands out for Dark Magic*.

Me: You can't take me alive!

Rose: No one said anything about taking you _alive_…

Me: *swallows nervously* Um, I don't own anything…

**Okay, so now that Rose left me alone, I can continue with the story…**

Chapter 10: Alek Christian Belikov

Rose

The sound of quiet breathing on the back of my neck woke me up. I was careful not to disturb Dimitri as I crawled out of the bed. I got changed and headed downstairs to get some breakfast before going to the doctor's office on the other side of Court. When I was in the middle of eating, Dimitri came down the stairs, Ari upon his shoulders. "Hey," I greeted when he kissed me. "Momma!" I took Ari down from his shoulders and held her on my lap. "And how's my darling girl?" I asked. "Good," Ari then looked quizzical. "Why are just the grown-ups awake, and not the others?" "Because today is a very special day," I answered. Dimitri smiled at me, and Ari checked to see if my stomach had gotten bigger, and it had. "What's today?" She asked. "Well, today is your little brother's birthday." I told her. "But I don't have a little brother," Ari looked at me like I had gone crazy. "You will soon." I said. Oh, right. Did I forget to mention? My due date is today, and it's about time; because ever since the doctors told us it was a boy, he's been kicking and punching from inside of me, like he didn't know what he was himself. Lissa laughed at Ari's confused look, and Christian smirked. Dimitri picked Ari up and whispered something in her ear. Her eyes got really wide, than stared down at me. "Why didn't you tell me?" she demanded. That reminded me of when Dimitri first came over with Tasha, and she asked that same thing. Only that time she was mad and crying; this time she was shocked and surprised. "But how?" she asked her father. "How what?" Lissa asked. "How did Mommy get him in her stomach?" Her eyes went wide again. "He didn't crawl in there…_did he_?" Christian burst out laughing. Lissa giggled, and I rolled her eyes at her message through the bond. Declaring that was the "Cutest thing she's ever heard". "No, he didn't crawl in there…" Somehow I knew the next question was coming… "How did he get in there?" I decided to go with an excuse all kids (well, _our_ kids) would believe. "Auntie Lissa's magic put him in there," I said. Lissa looked at me. _Just play along_. I sent her. She looked back at a smiling Dimitri and an excited Ari. She jumped down from his shoulders—Yes, his _shoulders_—and just as I was about to catch her, she twirled in the air, and landed gracefully just outside the reach of my arms. Everything was silent, because no one expected her to do _that_. "Where did you learn to do that?" Christian asked, putting more food on the table for the kids. Lissa got up to get them dressed. Ari just shrugged, and Dimitri laughed. I walked up the stairs to follow Lissa into the kids' bedroom.

Later that day, Dimitri and I were walking through the crunchy leaves toward the doctor's office to get a clear picture of how close we are to delivering. About thirty feet away from the clinic, I had a huge contraction that just about killed me. I fell and Dimitri crouched beside me, panicking. "What's wrong?" Then his face went calm, probably thinking that being calm is best right now. I just shook my head, trying to clear it as one million thoughts raced through my mind. Then I felt something wet. Crap. "Dimitri, the baby's coming," I told him calmly. He picked me up carefully, and ran toward the clinic. He was there in about five seconds, had the door open in one second, and I was on a cart ten seconds later. They were wheeling me away, and someone said something about a C-Section. **(My mom had an emergency C section because I was three monthes and 19 days early…I was one pound four ounces, if you were wondering)** Someone put a mask on my face, and some disgusting scent made my head light and my eyes droop. "Count down from ten to one, please," a nurse said. I did as she said, but I was out before the number five left my mouth.

The first feeling I had was being groggy. The bright light of the clinic didn't help either. Then there was a knock at the door, and a nurse came in. "Hello, Rose. How are you feeling?" "Groggy, but that's about all," I said. "That's good. Great, actually. We have some pills that you need to take if you feel lightheaded at all." "How is he?" Throughout this whole thing she hasn't said anything about my baby. "The C-Section went well, and they're cleaning him off now. Are you okay if you get some visitors? There are some people who want to see you." I nodded and she went out. A couple minutes later, almost the whole family came through the door. All the kid's were there, Dimitri, Christian, but no Lissa. "Where's Lissa?" I asked. "She had a couple things with the Royals to take care of. She'll probably be there when we get you out of this place." "Okay," then the nurse came in again, but with a little blue bundle in her arms. She set him down on my lap. I held him as close as I could. "How do you want him to be named on the certificate?" She asked. I looked at Dimitri. We had talked about Russian names, but we hadn't decided yet. Don't even get me started on the middle name… "Alekander," he said. I looked at him strangely. "Alekander means 'Defender of Men' in Russian." I nodded and then decided suddenly on the middle name. "Christian, for the middle name." Christian looked at me gratefully. "You really shouldn't have Rose," he said. I used some of my sarcastic way when I said jokingly, "You want me to name him Pyro?" "No!" Dimitri and Christian yelled at the same time. I laughed. "Okay, so Alekander Christian Belikov, then?" the nurse asked. I nodded. "Well, he certainly is a cutie." The nurse said, then walked towards the door. Right before she left, she told me that I can leave anytime I feel comfortable. After looking at Alek, who had dark brown eyes, light tan skin, and a little tuft of brown wavy hair, we signed the release papers and were headed home. We all walked home, and when we arrived, Lissa was sitting on the couch. When she saw us she shot up like a jack-in-the-box and ran over to us. Lissa cooed over Alek, as Dimitri and I looked at each other. I gave Alek to her, and she gladly took him. Raising Ari was hard, but at least this time I didn't have to do it alone…

**I'm home sick from school today, so I figured I'd devote my time to FF…**

**Promise I'll put more up soon!  
All the best,**

**Guardian2Be**


	12. Chapter 11: AN sorry! Need Ideas!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

**Hey guys! Sorry but this isn't an update! I know, I get angry at A/N's too, but there is a reason I did this… You want to know it? Well, you can't! Just kidding. Anyways…I have writer's block. *Insert dramatic gasp here* So I need ideas! Anything, really… So I hope you can give me some ideas, and stuff… PM me or if you don't have an account, leave a review telling me your idea! Thx!**

**All the best,**

**Guardian2Be**


	13. Chapter 11 the UD: The Bond

Disclaimer: Don't own anything… Seriously, it hasn't changed in my whole life, so yeah…

**Okay, so I decided to play good cop and let you guys off a review. But, if you can make it to 32 reviews, then I would love you guys! I really have no idea what to write, but here you go!**

Chapter 11: The Bond

Rose

Crazy is an understatement when describing these past weeks. Between the new baby, guardian duties, and with Ari's constant way of asking questions was… Well, insert adjective here.

Of course, everyone has been helping out, even Eddie and Mia, who lived in Seattle, made the drive over to help. Lissa offered to send her jet—Yes, being the Queen's main guardian had its perks, say like riding in said private jet—but they absolutely refused. Now we were here, all of us: Dimitri, Lissa, Christian, Eddie, Mia, the kids, and me. That's ten people, one house, and two bathrooms. Now do you understand my stress?

That Thursday, Dimitri, Eddie, Ari and I were headed to the gym to get a bit of training in. Ari was a little bad-ass like me. She could throw a wicked right hook, just like me, and fought with the skill that Dimitri and I had at that age. Dimitri says she's just like me when she fights, well I say the opposite. Ari has the self control that I had lacked at her age, even though throwing that book at my teacher all those years ago wasn't necessarily a bad thing, because it brought Lissa and me together as friends…

When we got there, it seemed like all the guardians there stopped to look at our entrance. For a minute, I thought something was wrong, until I realized it wasn't the adults they were looking at, it was Ari. Ari reached for my hand, and held on tightly, apparently not liking the attention. Yep, definitely Dimitri's kid. We all walked in, and soon everyone went back to combat or kicking or punching one object or another. We moved Ari over to an open mat and I positioned her as Dimitri and Eddie got some equipment. When they came back, they had arms full of blockers, stopwatches, and little tiny punching bag that first graders used for practice. Eddie sat the punching bag up in front of her, and took out a stop watch as I moved Ari through the motions of a left high kick. "See, it's just like your right side, but you need to do the opposite with your hips and blocking positions…" I was saying mindlessly. Ari nodded, signaling that she was ready. Eddie went behind the bag, and pressed a button, starting the timer. Ari moved flawlessly through the move, hitting it perfectly in the "stomach". Except that stomach was right between Eddie's legs, and hit him right _there_. Eddie dropped to the floor. I started laughing so hard at his expense, while Dimitri winced. I laughed even harder at Ari's shocked face. "Nice…" I could barely get one word out. "Nice hit…Ari…" I then collapsed in hysterics. Eddie was still on the floor, while we instructed Ari on a round house. Well, Dimitri did. I was still laughing so hard tears were streaming down my face. Most of the guardians were laughing too. When everyone had quieted and Eddie was off the floor, we helped Dimitri with Ari.

Two and a half hours later, we were heading back toward the house. When we got there, Ari screamed. I was shocked. The door was busted open and looked trampled on, like a stampede had run over it. Dimitri, Eddie and I made Ari be quiet as we crept through the house, and what we found was not pretty. The kitchen looked half burnt. Christian. The living room had broken glass from picture frames and windows, and the upstairs was ripped apart, Christian and Lissa's room the worst. The bed was completely turned over, sheets ripped beyond repair, and dressers were yanked and smashed. This room was badly burnt. I glanced at Eddie and Dimitri uneasily. Dimitri looked at me with a message that I could decipher. It was then that I realized I wasn't feeling anything through the bond, like it was gone. No, no, no… I thought harder, looking for some sense of my best friend within me. Blank was there. Just white noise that annoyed me to death. _Lissa?_ I asked in my thoughts. Through the white noise, was a small voice, just barely discernable. _Rose, is that you? Who else could talk to you in your mind? _I asked. _Oh my god! Rose, we…_ I was losing her. Only a couple words leaked through: _Dungeon… Strigoi… Melanie… Christian…Main part…_ White noise overtook her words. _Lissa!_ I thought frantically. Nothing.

"Rose?" Dimitri's voice brought me back to reality. "Dimitri…" He came over and took my hands. "What's wrong, Roza?" He asked. "The bond," I simply said.

"The bond is gone."

**Cliff hanger! LS tomorrow (for U.S at least)! I'll make some exceptions for reviews. If it's near thirty that's all I need. **

**Oh, and look at Lydia Irving's story: Moving On. I love this story, and if you're a fan of VA and DxR, check it out!**

**All the best,**

**Guardian2Be**


	14. Chapter 12: St Louis, Missouri

Disclaimer: Are you serious?

**OMG, you guys did it! 32 reviews exactly! I was about to give you guys a break and UD at 31, but I held back to see if you could do it, and you did! I really love you guys!**

**Without further delay, I give you the twelfth chapter of Dark Beauty…**

Chapter 12: St. Louis, Missouri

Rose

Eddie and Dimitri stared at me, unbelieving. Eddie was the one who spoke, uncertainly. "Rose, it couldn't be gone…" He took hesitant steps toward me. A surge of spirit's darkness shot up, rearing its ugly head, clouding my reason for a couple seconds while I yelled at him. "It's gone, okay? I know, because there's fucking static at the other end! Something's wrong, and we can't stop it!" Then I managed to shove away the anger, and sank down to the floor in defeat, totally helpless. "I'm sorry, Ed. I just lost focus, is all." I looked at him apologetically. He nodded, and studied the room a bit more. Dimitri helped me back to my feet, and he wiped away a tear. It was then that I realized I was crying silently. "Oh God… What do we do?" I trembled, which was so unlike me. I should have been angry, instead of upset. I should have been ready to fight, not give up. Even though I was utterly exhausted, like something had wiped me out. I leaned against him. Dimitri wrapped a comforting arm around me. "I found something," Eddie said, turning around and holding a piece of paper in one hand. "W-what is it?" I asked, knowing very well what it was, but was still afraid of what it says. Eddie read it aloud:

"_Dear Rosemarie Hathaway,_

_We need you to come to Saint Louis, Missouri at the Emerald Hotel in fourteen hours for a special mission that we Strigoi have in mind. Of course, we were very upset when you were not at the household, so we decided to take hostages. Why not kill two birds with one stone? With the Moroi leaders in our hands, we could destroy you and the Moroi world in just one quick twist. You must arrive alone, or else they will all perish. _

_And we know how much they mean to you…_"

Well, crap… "Damn." I said. With every word, I grew even more angry. I snatched the paper away, looking for some loophole in the words. Finding no obvious solution, I crumpled it in my hand, and I had the burning sensation. I looked at the ashes in my hand, as my eyes turned back to their normal shade of brown. I dusted off my hands, and turned to Dimitri. "We _have_ to find them." I said. "And soon." Dimitri nodded. Eddie looked at me curiously. "What do we do now?"

"_We_ do nothing," I said.

"_I_ go to Missouri."

The plane trip was only a mere two hours, and soon I was exiting the terminal. I was wearing blue jeans, red converse, and a blue tank top, with a red belt that was hanging low. I had my stake in my black jacket. It was seven P.M for humans, and in a couple hours, Strigoi will be able to come out of whatever nasty hole they're in. I moved through the front doors with ease, until a jerk started walking next to me. "Hey Babe," he said. "What's a girl like you doing all alone in a city like this?" He asked. "Shut up." I told him. "Oh, come on now. Don't be stubborn. Where're you staying at? I could drive you there, especially since it will be dark by the time you get there, since you're walking." He studied me, and I really felt like I needed to punch him. "Go away. I already have a ride." I said, lying instantly. "Who with?" He asked. Ugh, he was annoying. I was just about to kick him, when a voice called out behind us. "Hey, Tyler, get over here, or we are going to be late for the party!" I turned and saw another guy, only he looked a bit like Mason, before he turned Strigoi. He was walking toward the jerk—Tyler apparently—and managed to look at him while scrutinizing me out of his peripheral vision. I noticed the way he walked. He was a dhampir. I looked him up and down. When he reached Tyler, he looked at me full on. "Who's this?" He asked his friend. And then I looked at Tyler. Yep, definitely human. What I couldn't figure out was why a dhampir was hanging around with a human. "Yeah, Babe, what's your name?" asked Tyler. I said the first name that came to mind. "Addison," I told him. Addison was a helper with the Nursery and had been shaken up pretty badly when she'd learned about Melanie, Jake and Marisa. She'd long since become a family friend. Tyler nodded. "I'm Tyler, and this is Jason. Come to the party with us, Addison. It will be fun." I shook my head. "Come on." Tyler grabbed my arm roughly. Instinct stepped in before I could stop it; I stepped into the move, flipping him over my shoulder. He landed on cement, but it would have hurt a lot more if I'd slammed down like I would on a Strigoi. He was just a human after all…Much more breakable. He squeezed his eyes shut in pain then opened them."You're a dhampir." muttered Jason, so low only dhampirs or Moroi could have heard him. "You are too," I said just as low. "Are you…A guardian?" He asked, just a bit louder. Humans couldn't hear that frequency yet, so it didn't matter. "Are you?" I asked. He showed me his promise mark, and he had killed five Strigoi. I showed him mine in return. You could hear an audible gasp, even for humans. "You're not _her_, are you?" He asked. "Who?" "That girl, who went to Saint Vladimir's and killed two Strigoi before she graduated." I figured he was safe enough, and clearly new to the field. "Call me Rose." I told him as low as I could, and then turned to Tyler, who was nursing his minor wounds, which were major for him. "Do you take karate or something?" He looked almost awed and afraid, but he tried to contain it. "Something like that," I said. Jason snorted. I rolled my eyes. "So, where is this party?" I asked. With any luck, it may be close by the Emerald Hotel. "It's at the Emerald Hotel, downtown." Tyler told me. _Or in it_, I thought. "Let's go then." Without any further delay, they led me to their car.

The Emerald Hotel was a big almost all glass building, and since it was late in the night by the time we got there, around nine p.m., Strigoi could be very well inside. Without a word, Jason took far guard while I walked next to Tyler. We may be total strangers to each other, but at least we knew how to communicate without words. We held a loose guard, because I had told Jason I'd warn him if I'd sense anything. I had told him about my 'sensing' Strigoi in the car.

The lobby was big and bright, and it took me a second to get my eyes to adjust correctly. Tyler and I walked up to the counter and asked where Lacey Amistead's room was. They complied, and soon we were in an elevator heading up to the third floor. The long corridor was adorned in a gold pattern, with little tables between rooms. It was obvious where the party was to Jason and me right when we stepped off the elevator, thanks to our superior hearing.

"So, is this Lacey a Moroi or dhampir?" I asked Jason in that same tone we'd used outside of the airport. "Neither, she's a human. Tyler met her at the mall. She's too tan to be Moroi, too thin to be a dhampir." "Oh, so does she know?" "Yeah, and get this, she's your number one fan…" His words trailed off as we approached a door that had loud music playing behind it. "God, could this music be any louder?" I thought aloud. Jason shrugged and Tyler was about to knock, when I intervened. "Do you really think anyone is going to hear it?" He dropped his hand to his side. "I got it," I told him. Back before I went on 'vacation' with Lissa, I was always going to parties like this, so I just walked right in. No one even noticed us for a couple seconds, until a tan girl, no doubt Lacey, walked toward us. She was wearing a sparkly short dress, stockings that were ripped up the side, white converse with black laces, and her blonde hair was in a messy bun. "Hi Tyler, Jason," then she noticed me. "Who's this?" she asked. "This is Addison," Jason said, keeping my cover. "We met her outside of the airport, invited her along. Hope you don't mind." "No, not at all. Come over here, Addison, I have guys who would want to meet you!" She sounded too bubbly, and she slurred her words a couple times, no doubt drunk. As she spoke, I saw a gleam of silver inside her mouth. She had her tongue pierced. Cool. But I couldn't worry about piercings then, because she was leading me over to three guys, still completely sober, standing along the walls, but still managing to talk a little. _What are trained guardians doing here? _I thought. Really, if the Strigoi needed me, why bring other guardians into the mix? And never mind the why, I was looking at the _how_. How could Strigoi get fully trained guardians in a hotel where—maybe—Strigoi could be roaming around, and they're not doing anything? Then I saw the glazed over look in their eyes. They were being compelled. I scanned the crowded room, trying to find others of my own kind, but found none. I turned back to Lacey, who was introducing me. "Brian, Michael, Chris, this is Addison. I figured you may want to meet her." It took them a second to realize what I had realized already. "You're a dhampir," said the one I'm guessing was Chris. His voice was loud enough that Lacey could hear, just not that well. "What'd you say, Chris?" Her words were slurring a little, but not as bad when she first approached me. "He said Addison was 'damn pretty'." Oh, nice save. "She is a pretty little thing, isn't she?" Lacey messed with a strand of my hair before leaving to greet another of her party guests. With Lacey gone, I could snap the guardians out of the compulsion. I started to make them look straight at me, but then I figured that if Dark Magic could kill a Strigoi, couldn't it break its compulsion? Just as I started to work on my experiment, a Strigoi knocked the door down. And not just any Strigoi; Avery Lazar, the crazy spirit user who tormented Lissa when I went off to Russia. **(It's in Blood Promise)** "I'm looking for Rose Hathaway." Oh, big surprise…

_Rose, Avery is back to play. _Avery's voice was in my head, just like it was during Avery's final showdown to kill Lissa. It didn't work, though.

But, you know, considering my luck, something bad could easily happen in the next five minutes.

But I'll fight against fate as long as I could…

**Hello people! Thanks so much for the thirty-two reviews I asked for! More soon! **

**All the best,**

**Guardian2Be**


	15. Chapter 13: A Whole Mess of Crap

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything!**

Hey! Happy time! *Does stupid happy dance*. Okay, I have big plans for the couple next chapters, but too bad for you, because you won't know until I put them up! *Does evil laugh*.

Christian: What the-

Adrian: Ditto.

Lissa: Enjoy the next chapter!

What she said…

**Chapter 13: A Whole Mess of Crap**

**It didn't take long until that evil bitch spoke again. "Guards, bring her over." Chris and Michael grabbed my arms roughly, their moves mechanical. I tried to fight out of their grasps, but they were tough. The humans had frozen at the sight. They slowly made a path, scared of both the guardians and of Avery. When I was in front of her, Avery glanced me up and down. "Hey, Rose. Nice of you to stop by. It's too bad that we already killed your precious friends and children." Frantically, I reached out through the bond, getting attacked by raw static once I put my walls down. I could make out a numb feeling, like Lissa was asleep or unconscious. But at least she was alive. "You're lying. She's alive, I can feel it." "Ah, yes. The bond. Too bad it will disappear when she's gone." I snarled. "Addison!" yelled Tyler's voice from across the room. Avery turned to him. "Who's this?" "Leave him alone." Tyler was only a human, and I couldn't drag another life into this. "He's a human, and he doesn't know…" Avery smirked in that malicious way all Strigoi are so good at. "Bring**_** the human**_**," she said the term with disgust, "with us too." "No!" I yelled out. I couldn't drag a human into this. "Take anyone who **_**knows**_** anyone besides him." I was practically begging now, but I didn't care. Usually, begging was beneath me—especially for a Strigoi—but with almost every life I know at stake…The numbers get to you. "No, he'll do just fine," she nods at him. Chris and Michael grab him roughly. Tyler squirms, but it isn't any match for dhampir strength. "Let me go!" he exclaims. No one tries to help him. The humans form a path—quicker than last time—for Tyler and his escorts. "Let's go." Avery announces and leaves the room. Tyler and I are forced to follow. **

**Avery leads us down the hallway and straight passed the elevators. We continue walking through the maze of hallways, until we reach a plain wooden door. Avery glances back at us. "Ready?" She doesn't wait for a response, and instead turns the handle, revealing a dark stairway. She walks down the swept—surprising that this place is used so frequently, because isn't most villains' lairs supposed to be creepy and dusty? At the end of the stairs was a corridor that smelled of the dead (or rather, the living dead). Only blue lights built into the ceiling about one hundred feet apart lit the way. We had to walk through dark spots and light spots to get to the other end. And that's when I saw them. We had just started down the hall, when Strigoi made them known. You could see their ruby eyes and pale skin from two hundred yards away. They nudged each other and whispered, while occasional cocky Strigoi would call out the taunt: "That's Rose Hathaway? Hah! How old is she, anyway?" I growled. "Don't underestimate her." Avery warned, glancing at me. "She can be mean when she wants to be." I snarl at her. She rolls her eyes, and soon we're at the door. She knocks twice, and runs a card over an automatic scanner. Then she opens the door. When I looked back at the hallway, I hadn't realized we were traveling at an incline, and that we could be well above ground. Avery opens the door, and the guardians pushed us forward. We traveled for a couple minutes through a maze of halls, and we arrived at a metal door, no doubt element—like fire, in Christian's case—proof. They throw Tyler and me in, and slammed the door behind us. You can hear the lock snap shut. I get up slowly, my back to my surroundings. Tyler's still on the floor, and I help him up, and that's when I hear a faint, "Rose?" Lissa's frail voice spins me around and I run over to her. I notice the healing cuts and bruises on her. Her clothes are torn and bloody. "Liss! What the hell happened to you?" I whispered, not sure if this was room was bugged or not. "We-we were taken from the house. We tried to stop it, but…" She glanced around, and I realized her kids and Christian were also with her. "Shit," I swore. She nodded, confirming. "Rose?" Came a weak, but clearly strong voice. "Hey, Pyro." I say softly. "Who's he?" Lissa asks, gesturing to Tyler. "He's Tyler. Um, Avery kind of took him too." "What!" Christian exclaimed. Tyler moved back to the far corner of the room, looking panicked. "Okay, the most important thing here is to **_**not panic**_**," the last part was directed at Tyler. They all nod. "Christian, this layout isn't that different from the one in…Spokane. So, all we have to do is break out of this hell hole like last time. Bad news, I have no stake. The guardians that were being compelled took it off of me. So, I'll have to fight with no weapon. Of course, we have your magic-." "Magic?" Tyler scoffs. "Sure. You guys are crazy. I'm getting out of here." I lung forward and manage to pin him easily. "Do you want to die?" I hissed. "Christian, show him!" "I can't," he answers. "Why the hell not?" Then I remember. I groaned. "Magic proof, duh." I get up off of Tyler. "We're not crazy…We are vampires, though…"**

**OoOoOoOo**

**After we had explained it all and Tyler asked some questions, we worked out a plan. Lissa had a silver necklace on, and she would charm that so I would look like a Strigoi, disguised, of course. Then I would look like I was biting her neck, while she screams. Christian would be pretending to be knocked out, as well as Tyler. The kids were still sleeping. Avery, strangely, let Lissa keep a red lipstick. Turns out Dark Magic is able to be worked behind this door, but not that much. I manage to melt it a bit, and draw realistic blood lines on Lissa's neck. We assumed Avery or some other Strigoi will haul me out of here, hopefully to a small area with little Strigoi. I'll make sure the door is unlocked before I leave. Then I fight until Christian shows up with his magic. The rest will hide out in the room, until we come to get them. It wasn't fail proof, but it was the best we could get. It put everyone's lives in danger, but there was no way around that. **

**When everything is ready, including the charm, which wiped a lot out of Lissa, we put the plan into action. I counted to three, and Lissa began screaming. For a minute, Christian opened his eyes, checking if Lissa was okay; it sounded that realistic. Christian realized she was fine, and went back to his state of 'unconsciousness''. I put my mouth, slightly open, close to Lissa's neck. She actually managed to get out a few tears. We heard banging on stairs, and soon, Avery busted the door down. She glared at me, but thought that I was one of them. I could see it in her eyes. She sauntered over, and picked me off the ground. Lissa fell over, faking to faint. I followed Avery out, and lucky for me, she forgot to lock the door. I smirked to myself. "When did you get here? The others are waiting." I nodded, and followed Avery to my doom.**

**Lissa POV **

**When Rose left with Avery, we got up quietly. We waited in dead silence as Rose and Avery climbed the stairs. We were told to wait ten minutes before Christian could go out. We explained to Tyler in a more detailed explanation about our life. We got as far as explaining about the bond, when we heard Melanie groan. Christian and I hurried over to our eldest daughter. "Melanie?" I asked quietly. "Mom?" she asked sleepily. "Hey, Baby," Christian said, helping her sit up as she rubbed her eyes. Then we heard it. A high pitched scream that made us jump. Christian stood. "Rose is in trouble. I have to go." He started to the door, and before he turned away, I saw a fire in his eyes, a flash of brotherly protection. I smiled, even though I was in no position to. Christian left, and I could only sit out from battle. Again.**

Decided to save the battle for the next chapter. Sorry! I know: Grr… But I have to go to bed now, so later peeps.

Reviews motivate me *hint hint* XD.

All the best,

Guardian2Be


	16. Chapter 14: Oh My God

Disclaimer: Seriously?

**Hello, wonderful readers and followers! Okay, so I'm planning to end DB in the next couple of chapters, so be prepared****. No, it's not the end of this storyline. In case you haven't heard, the last book, Life Angel, will be out soon, probably right after DB since I have two weeks off of school. Okay, enough about me…Back to the crazy imaginings of a "troubled' tween girl…**

Chapter 14: Oh My God

Rose POV

I had just gotten up the stairs with Avery, when she cornered me. "Rose," she growled, breaking the necklace when she ripped it off of my neck. "You forgot: I was a spirit user too. I know a charm when I see one." Shit. Well, I guess the fighting starts now. I push off the wall, and Avery tried to counter, using my own momentum against me by trying to side step me. But I was fast; I spun and kicked her in the stomach. She stumbled, but not much. She attacked, trying to tackle me. I moved so that my shoulder took the brunt of the hit. She didn't stop there. She lunged, but I punched her to slow her down. But that didn't stop her from knocking me down. I landed on my side. Well, that hurt. I was almost on my feet, when she managed to kick me in the face. I fell onto my back. She leaned over me, smiling in a cold way, her fangs flashing. Her sharp teeth touched my skin, but instead of the warm and comforting feelings I get with Lissa's bite, this was cold and cruel. I screamed, and then the world slowed to a blur in slow motion. Christian burst through the door, saw me, and then began working his magic. It all faded to black when Avery sunk her teeth into my neck one last time before the fire reached her.

Christian POV

I busted through the door, and I saw Rose, barely conscious, and Avery drinking from her. I worked a string of fire, pushed it out to Avery. She ripped her teeth from Rose's neck, and I saw the blood, and the way Rose's head lulled off to one side. She was dying, I knew it. I moved as quickly as I could, try to make a ring of fire around her, but Avery moved very quickly out of the way. I soon became angry, so angry that fire shot from both hands in a way that made it impossible to escape from. Avery screeched as she was being burned. I sped up the process, but then… Well, I got bit on the neck.

Rose POV

I woke up just in time to see Avery die, and Christian being bitten on the neck. I got up quickly, and stumbled almost immediately. I put my hand up to my neck, and felt the holes, and the small tear. I winced, but I had to keep going. I moved deftly to the Strigoi, a new one. But in my weak state, he'd be a challenge. I moved up to him just as Christian fell to the ground. The Strigoi had taken quite a bit of blood. I moved forward, wielding my Dark Magic that had spurred up almost as soon as I had woken. I managed a small orb that I could fit around his head. He tried to run, but I moved faster, pushing the orb forward. When it had surrounded its target, the Strigoi tried to pry it off. It didn't work, and soon he suffocated. Just to be safe, I focused on him with my hands thrust toward him. The black mist appeared, and it destroyed the Strigoi. Sydney would be proud that I disintegrated it. I turned around and rushed to Christian, my wound was all but forgotten. I ripped of my sleeve and used that as a tourniquet. He moaned when I tied it securely to add pressure. He didn't wake, though. I picked him up gently, letting his head lean against me. I ran as smoothly as I could down the steps, and was soon at the door where Lissa and the kids were. "Liss!" I exclaimed, banging hard on the door. Christian didn't even move, unless I jostled him. She opened the door a couple seconds later, and immediately let us in. I ran in and laid him down on a covering of jackets Lissa had made from the kids' coat and hers. "Oh God," Lissa said quietly. "What happened?" her voice quivered. I just shook my head, signaling that this was not a good time. I undid the tourniquet and surveyed the wound. It was deep, and part of his neck was ripped out because the Strigoi moved before entirely releasing his hold on him. Lissa hurried over and laid her hand on his neck. She focused, and for the first time since a while, I felt her fear, terror, and anger at the Strigoi. I felt the warm feeling of healing that she got. When she pulled her hand back, there was blood on it, but Christian's wounds weren't healed. I knew we had only minutes until the rest of the Strigoi came in, so I couldn't worry about her healing problem now.

"We have to go." I told her. She nodded, and told the kids to hurry and get ready to go. I picked Christian and the jackets up, covering him, and most importantly, tied another tourniquet, since my sleeve was covered in blood. I moved as fast as I could through the hallways, guiding the Moroi in the direction of the corridor that Avery and I had passed when we first came down here.

oOoOoOoOoO

When we made it outside, I hotwired a car, and we were off. The car ride was spent with Lissa hovering over Christian, and kids crying, scared. I was driving, and soon we were at Court. The guardians at the front gates let us in, and when we were parked, I grabbed Christian from the back, and ran as fast as I could to the clinic.

A couple hours later, Christian was diagnosed, and Doctor Olendski came out, looking distressed.

"Christian," she didn't address him with a royal name, for which I was grateful. "Is in a coma."

***Gasp*. Okay, even I didn't see that one coming. (I did, but I decided to play the unsuspecting person) XD. **

**I will finish DB in a couple—around three—chapters, and I'll UD the deets on Life Angel!**

**Note: Merry Christmas!**

**All the best,**

**Guardian2Be**


	17. Chapter 15: He Has To Wake Up

Disclaimer: Go crawl in a hole far away…

** Hello, people! The llama is in your locker! (Inside joke). I decided to give you another chapter!**

Chapter 15: He Has To Wake Up

Rose POV

Lissa screamed out, and she crashed into me, crying hard. I put my arm around her comfortingly. She kept muttering: "Oh no," and "Oh my God," "It's okay, Liss," I comforted. But was it really okay? With Christian in a coma, the Moroi world will be in turmoil. They needed Lissa to be strong; Hell, _everyone_ needed her to be strong, especially her kids. Speaking of her kids, they were in tears, but only because their mother was in tears. They didn't know what a coma was. Melanie came over, and sat in the seat next to me. The others followed. Soon, Melanie spoke up. "Auntie Rose, what's a coma?" I sighed. I hated to bring bad news to anyone. Except anyone I hated, than I kind of enjoyed it… "Your father is asleep, and probably won't wake up for a while," Lissa shuddered when she heard that. "You can talk to him and hold his hand, but he can't talk or move until he wakes up." "When will Daddy wake up?" Asked the small two year old, Jake. "I don't know, Jake. I don't know…"

We left the clinic a couple minutes after Lissa calmed down. I called Dimitri on the way back. "Hey," I said when he answered. "Update?" He asked. I had called him before Doctor Olendski had come out with her verdict. I told him I'd call him when she's given us an update on Christian. "I have bad news." I told him. "What is it?" I could hear in his voice that he put his guardian mask on. "Christian…He's in a coma. Doctor Olendski didn't tell us whether it was fatal or not," I said. I could hear him take a deep breath, before asking: "Where are you now?" "We will be home in about a minute," I told him. "Someone wants to talk to you," he said. You could hear shuffling on the other end as the phone was passed over. "Addison?" Came a boy's voice. Damn. "Hey, Tyler." "What the hell is going on? You guys… I have a feeling you want me to keep this whole thing silent?" I nodded, even though he couldn't see me. "Yeah. We can't risk anyone else knowing. I'll talk to you back at the house." I hung up.

Finally inside the house, Lissa broke away from me and ran into her room, upstairs. I sighed, and sat down on the couch opposite of Dimitri. Dimitri followed Lissa with his eyes before she went into her room and shut the door. "What happened?" He asked. I shook my head and looked down. Lissa's kids slowly made their way to their rooms, after seeing the obvious hint that they weren't supposed to hear the following conversation. "Well, when I got to Saint Louis, Tyler started hitting on me, and I figured out he was human, but when he touched me I flipped him over, and that's when his dhampir friend, Jason came over and we all went to this party. It was at the Emerald Hotel, that's the only reason I agreed. I found trained guardians there and they were being compelled, but before I could try to break the compulsion, Avery the Strigoi busted the door down, and one thing led to another…Soon Tyler and I were captured, and I met up with Liss and Christian and their kids after we got to Avery's "lair-slash-prison"."

So, we made a plan that involved a charm, me pretending to be Strigoi, and Christian coming up to help me kill the Strigoi. I had gotten caught in the act, so Avery and I fought, but I was knocked down and she bit me. It all became blurry, but I screamed and Christian came up and burned Avery, but a Strigoi was behind him, and bit him. I ended up using Dark Magic on the Strigoi, but when he moved he ripped out a part of Christian's neck. But I picked him up, tied a tourniquet with my sleeve, than brought Lissa and the kids home before any Strigoi could capture us. I carried Christian to the clinic, and that's when I called you."

Dimitri stayed silent, before asking: "Are they taking it okay?" By "they" I assumed he meant the kids. "They don't know what a coma is…If I told them Christian might not be waking up, they might hate me or something, and if they did, Ari's sure to copy Melanie and Alek will copy his sister. Oh my God, what about Lissa? She'll hate me when she realizes the truth! That it was my fault for making up that stupid damned plan! If I hadn't done that, than Christian would still be okay!" I was in hysteria now. Dimitri came over and forced me to look at him, taking my face in his hands. "Rose, listen. None of that is going to happen. Christian will be okay, he has to be." I couldn't hold it in anymore. I cried, and let Dimitri hold me. And I felt safe, something I haven't felt in a very long time now. Christian will wake up…

He has to.

**Sorry for not UD! Been busy with the holidays and stuff…So, as DB comes to a close (in a chapter or two) what was your favorite lines, or part(s) in this book. SH stuff welcome since I didn't do it for that! Tell me what you think in a comment or PM. I really do appreciate you guys! I've heard this said a million times, but only now can I understand how you guys help me write!**

**You guys are really the reason I keep writing…**

**All the best,**

**Guardian2Be**


	18. Chapter 16: Following Orders Finale

Disclaimer: Die…

**THIS IS IT *hee hee*. This is the final chapter of DB! *plays DUH DUH DUH music*. Thanks for the reviews! You guys are awesome! Again, tell me what your favorite part is! Thanks!**

Chapter 16: Following Orders; Finale.

Rose

It had been a week. A week since we got back from being captured, a week since Tyler went home. A week and still no news about Christian. They're allowing visitors now, but Lissa won't let her kids, or herself, go to see him. I could tell she was afraid about seeing him in that state, but I'd been in his room a couple times, practically begging for him to wake up. And that doesn't happen often, believe me. I would tell him how low Lissa's moods had been, and how the darkness is becoming way too much for her. Still, he didn't stir.

At first, Ari and Alek wanted to see Christian, but Dimitri didn't want them to. He'd explained to me that his aunt had died in a coma, when he was little, and when he went in to see her, it scarred him. So I'd agreed to let Ari and Alek stay home. He'd let me go, just as long as he didn't have to go himself.

So, really, I was the only one who visited him. I felt bad for him, even though he didn't know who was visiting him. I was going to visit him soon, after breakfast. Lissa, of course, didn't leave her room. I practically had to force feed her. After I finished eating, I made a plate for Lissa, even though I knew it was useless. She hasn't been eating anything I bring her. Feeders, though, is a different matter. I have to guide the junkies up the stairs, and that is a task alone.

I went into Lissa's room, to see the sight I always do these past couple days. She was basically a lump under a blanket. Her ratty blonde hair was peeping out of the covers. And yes, I did say _ratty_. Weird for Lissa, I know. "Liss, sit up," I say, because I know she isn't sleeping. Her reply was muffled in a pillow. I walked over, and balancing the plate on my hand, I ripped the covers off her body to reveal the sad thing that practically lived under these covers. I make her sit up, and set the plate next to her. She looks at the plate with blank eyes, before scooting over. I sigh, and sit between Lissa and the plate, taking a piece of toast. "Okay, if you're not going to eat anything for me, eat this for your _guardian_, who will not let her charge die!" She shakes her head before scooting farther, hitting the wall. I managed to get her to take little bites, and in a minute (yes, an actual minute) she had finished the toast. When I tried to give her other things, she refused. Giving up, I turned to her. "At least take a shower, Liss. You look like shit." With that said, I stood, took the plate, and walked out of her room.

A couple minutes later, I was outside, crunching through fall leaves. The clinic was only a couple feet away now. I'd been dropping by so often, the desk clerk actually says: "Go on in, Rose." Her name was Genevieve, and she was in her late fifties, but still tough. She was a Moroi, but she reminded me of Alberta. Today, though, she didn't look at me and smile, and say the words that I've heard so many times. Instead she looked sad. She looked at me and said, "You can't see him right now, Honey," she only called me 'Honey' once, when we first met. She explained to me that she reminded me of her granddaughter, Elizabeth, who she claimed looked a bit like me. I welcomed the term. She reminded me of the grandma I never had. "Why not?" I asked, kind of scared of the answer. "He's not well, Rose. The doctors are working on him as we speak." We spoke a bit before I thanked her and went out.

When I told Dimitri the news, he put his guardian mask on, the one he was oh so good at. In his eyes I saw sadness, a pang of guilt. "Why the hell are you guilty? If anyone, I should feel guilty." "Because if I had gone with you to St. Louis…" "It wasn't your fault." I told him. Before he could say anything else, I went up to tell Lissa.

Her eyes watered immediately after I said his name. But when I said the rest of it, she totally collapsed into my arms. She screamed into my shirt, but like I could care less. I held her tight, until she pulled away and said: "I want to see him."

We were at the front doors now, after I explained to her that Genevieve probably wouldn't let her in. Against my words, she let Lissa and me in. We reached the room, and we saw Christian; Well, what wasn't covered by blankets, which stopped, just revealing his shoulders. What we could see, though, was pretty horrid. Black and blue spots covered him, a heavy gauze on his neck. Lissa ran to his side, and sat in the uncomfortable thing the hospital like to call a chair. I sat on the other side of the bed, waiting for her to say something. "Oh, God…No…" She sobbed a bit before piercing anger burned through our connection. She turned to me. "He's in here…Because of you! I can't believe I let the plan go through! If you had been a better guardian, and didn't need help with Avery, than Christian would be okay! I hate you…" She whispered the last part before crying hard. I sat there, shocked at her choice of words. Most of them were true though. If I hadn't screamed…If I had fought better…Anything could end those two phrases; all of the choices making me seem incoherent.

"Get out," she whisper-yelled. "What?" I asked. "Get out!" She screamed at me. "Didn't you hear me? I said, get out!" She pointed forcefully to the door. I stood, and did what I had been taught to do. I obeyed Moroi; and followed their orders.

I haven't seen Lissa in five years ever since I left Court with Dimitri and the kids.

**BAM! Done! DB is done with! Life Angel's Prologue will come soon!**

**Peace out!**

**Again, tell me what your fave part of DB was!**

**All the best,**

**Guardian2Be**


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